Castro sworn in - Feb 16, 1959 - HISTORY.com Castro sworn in Publisher A+E Networks On February 16, 1959, Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, who became commander in chief of Cuba’s armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, replaced the more moderate Miro Cardona as head of the country’s new provisional government. Castro was born in the Oriente province in eastern Cuba, the son of a Spanish immigrant who had made a fortune building rail systems to transport sugar cane. He became involved in revolutionary politics while a student and in 1947 took part in an abortive attempt by Dominican exiles and Cubans to overthrow Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo . In the next year, he took part in urban riots in Bogota, Colombia. The most outstanding feature of his politics during the period was his anti-American beliefs; he was not yet an overt Marxist.

In 1951, he ran for a seat in the Cuban House of Representatives as a member of the reformist Ortodoxo Party, but General Batista seized power in a bloodless coup d’etat before the election could be held. Various groups formed to oppose Batista’s dictatorship, and on July 26, 1953, Castro led some 160 rebels in an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba–Cuba’s second largest military base. Castro hoped to seize weapons and announce his revolution from the base radio station, but the barracks were heavily defended, and more than half his men were captured or killed. Castro was himself arrested and put on trial for conspiring to overthrow the Cuban government. During his trial, he argued that he and his rebels were fighting to restore democracy to Cuba, but he was nonetheless found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Two years later, Batista felt confident enough in his power that he granted a general amnesty for all political prisoners, including Castro.

Castro then went with his brother Raul to Mexico , and they organized the revolutionary 26th of July Movement, enlisting recruits and joining up with Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an idealist Marxist from Argentina. On December 2, 1956, Castro and 81 armed men landed on the Cuban coast. All of them were killed or captured except for Castro, Raul, Che, and nine others, who retreated into the Sierra Maestra mountain range to wage a guerrilla war against the Batista government. They were joined by revolutionary volunteers from all over Cuba and won a series of victories over Batista’s demoralized army. Castro was supported by the peasantry, to whom he promised land reform, while Batista received aid from the United States, which bombed suspected revolutionary positions. By mid-1958, a number of other Cuban groups were also opposing Batista, and the United States ended military aid to his regime. In December, the 26th of July forces under Che Guevara attacked the city of Santa Clara, and Batista’s forces crumbled. Batista fled for the Dominican Republic on January 1, 1959.

Castro, who had fewer than 1,000 men left at the time, took control of the Cuban government’s 30,000-man army. The other rebel leaders lacked the popular support the young and charismatic Castro enjoyed, and on February 16 he was sworn in as prime minister. The United States initially recognized the new Cuban dictator but withdrew its support after Castro launched a program of agrarian reform, nationalized U.S. assets on the island, and declared a Marxist government. Many of Cuba’s wealthier citizens fled to the United States, where they joined the CIA in its efforts to overthrow Castro’s regime. In April 1961, with training and support by the CIA, the Cuban exiles launched an ill-fated and unsuccessful invasion of Cuba known as the “Bay of Pigs.” The Soviet Union reacted to the attack by escalating its support to Castro’s communist government and in 1962 placed offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba. The discovery of the missiles by U.S. intelligence led to the tense “ Cuban Missile Crisis ,” which ended after the Soviets agreed to remove the weapons in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba.

Castro’s Cuba was the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere, and he would retain control of it into the 21st century, outlasting 10 U.S. presidents who opposed him with economic embargoes and political rhetoric. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Castro lost a valuable source of aid, but he made up for it by courting European and Canadian investment and tourism. In July 2006, Castro temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul after undergoing intestinal surgery. His struggles with illness continued, and he officially stepped down in February 2008. Castro died on November 25, 2016, at 90. Related Videos BBC ON THIS DAY | 16 | 1959: Castro sworn in as Cuban PM 1959: Castro sworn in as Cuban PM Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has become the country's youngest ever premier. At the age of 32, he has been sworn in as Prime Minister in the Cabinet Room of the Presidential Palace in Havana.

Dr Castro led the resistance against the seven-year military rule of President Fulgeneio Batista and commanded the 26 July Army, a guerrilla force that drove the old regime into exile on New Year's Day. But this is the first time he has assumed administrative responsibilities within the new, provisional government. Cuban newspaper 'Revolution' - regarded as the voice-piece of the 26 July Army - explained his appointment is to solve the problem of "a dispersal of power", as many workers and industries have observed Castro's pronouncements and not the government's since the revolution. According to the newspaper, "now the government, the revolution and the people will take the same path." We have great plans Fidel Castro, Prime Minister Dr Castro was on leave from his previous post as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces when Dr Jose Miro Cordoba - prime minister since 5 January - and his cabinet resigned, without explanation, two days ago. As well as his supporters, a hoard of Cuban and foreign media witnessed Fidel Castro being sworn into office wearing his olive-green rebel army fatigues and sporting his trademark square cap and beard.

He told them: "We have great plans and we suffer when we cannot put these into effect rapidly, but technical preparations take time." He also denied he had any interest in taking over as president, saying legal moves to lower the age of eligibility for the post last week were the initiative of the incumbent president Manuel Urrutia Lleo. President Urrutia and Prime Minister Castro are old allies and are expected to work together to achieve revolutionary aims of economic reform and improved living standards for all Cubans. On This Day In Photos: How Fidel Castro Became Prime Minister Of Cuba | By Anorak on 16 February 2014 | comments 0 Share this: ON this day in – February 16, 1959: Dr Fidel Castro, 32, was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba. The seven-year military rule of President Fulgeneio Batista had ended when the corrupt autocrat fled on January 1, 1959. In 1975, he died in exile in Spain. In 1959, Cuba became the West’s first Communist State. Castro, at the head of his 26 July army would bring in a brave new dawn.

In 1976, Dr Castro passed a new constitution and became president, secretary general of the Communist Party and commander-in-chief of the army. In 2008, Raúl Castro, Fidel Castro’s younger brother, was named Cuba’s first new President in nearly 50 years. Adios Castro. Hola, Castro. In this Anorak photo story, we look at what went before that momentous day when revolution was won: And before that? This is the story of Castro’s rise up to the day he took power: Colonel Fulgencio Batista, Cuba’s strong man, playing with his children at his Havana home, on March 14, 1937. Fulgencio Batista, who was President of Cuba from 1940-1944, is seen while visiting the United States, in San Francisco, Calif., on March 17, 1945.

Fidel Castro in his 1945 year book A 1955 Mexican migration document of Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro is on display as part of the National Institute of Migration exhibit marking the organization’s 20th anniversary, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013. Castro, according to historians, used his time in Mexico to organize the group of rebels who took a boat to Cuba in 1956 to launch the rebellion against dictator Fulgencio Batista. The exhibit of 16 notables that include Castro, Russian Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky and Nicaraguan guerrilla leader Augusto Cesar Sandino, is a sample of the nearly 500,000 records that make up the institute’s archive. EDITORS NOTE : GRAPHIC CONTENT – Following an unsuccessful uprising against dictator Fulgencio Batista the dead bodies of shot insurgents lie on the grounds of the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953.

The attack on the Moncada barracks, which left 54 people dead, was the start of a long lasting civil war on the island of Cuba, which ended with the overthrow of the Batista regime Captain Heinrich Lorenz, left, of cruise ship MS Berlin, proposes a toast to the success of Fidel Castro’s government in Cuba, April 15, 1954, Havana, Cuba. Castro visited the North German Lloyd ship after it landed in Havana from New York. Twenty-two Cuban exiles arrested for plotting the assassination of President Fulgencio Batista are shown in front of a government office in Mexico City. June 26th, 1956. Fidel Castro, prominent revolutionary, is standing and indicated (arrow), and seated second from left is Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Ernesto “Che” Guevara is flanked by his parents on their arrival at airport in Havana, Cuba in 1959. Guevara was reported to have been killed by Bolivian troops October 8, 1967.

Cuban guerrilla leader Fidel Castro does some reading while at his rebel base in Cuba’s Sierra Maestra mountains in this 1957 photo. Cuban rebel leader Fidel Castro is seen in this April 3, 1958 photo. Raul Castro, left, younger brother of Cuban rebel leader Fidel, has his arm around second-in-command, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Argentine national, in their Sierra de Cristal Mountain stronghold south of Havana, Cuba, during the Cuban revolution in this file photo. June, 1958. Placing his marked ballot in the ballot box is Cuba’s President Fulgencio Batista as his wife, Marta, watches at left in Havana, Cuba, on Nov. 3, 1958. Polling places were guarded heavily. Havana was tense in face of threat of violence by Fidel Castro’s rebels. Voting was light during day but a rush to vote is expected just before polls close. People burn tables and roulette wheels outside the Plaza Hotel casino in Old Havana, Cuba in Jan.

1959 In this January 1959 picture, residents tear down a bus sign on the corner of Consulado and Neptuno Streets in Old Havana after revolutionaries gained the city. On Jan. 1, 1959, Dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba and Fidel Castro took power. his January 1959 file photo shows the younger brother of Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, as a young guerilla soldier in an undisclosed location in Cuba. Raul Castro, now the current leader of the Communist-run island This is a familiar scene throughout Havana today with rebel forces manning road blocks and challenging all persons on the street. Troops of Rebel Leader Fidel Castro moved into downtown Havana, January 2, 1959. Civilians man most of the road blocks. Jewelers brought out this big banner at this mass meeting to pledge support Manuel Urrutia, named by Rebel Leader Fidel Castro to be the next President of Cuba. A huge crowd gathered in Central Park expecting to see the new president but was disappointed in Havana, Jan. 2, 1959.

Troops of rebel leader Fidel Castro who have been fighting in the mountains and wilds for the past many months wear broad smiles as they parade through downtown Havana late January 3, 1959, in a show of strength. Thousands jammed the walks to see the parade. Cuban rebel leader Fidel Castro, right, embraces Camilo Cienfuegos, Revolutionary Army commander, in Santiago, Cuba, Jan. 4, 1959. Cienfuegos is leaving for Havana to take command of the Columbia barracks. Supporters of the Revolutionary government of Cuba man a machine gun post overlooking one of the main streets, Zapata Avenue, into the heart of the city (background) in Havana, Jan. 4, 1959. Tension eased in the city somewhat but Fidel Castro’s supporters kept a close armed watch on the city. January 5, 1959, William Alexander Morgan, a native of Ohio, is shown in battle dress with Fidel Castro’s forces in Las Villas province. Morgan, 30, is a major and is second in command of Second National front and commander of Cienfuegos garrison.

Fidel Castro talks with Ed Sullivan, TV variety show host and N.Y. Daily News columnist, January 6, 1959 in Matanzas, Cuba. Soldiers of Rebel Chief Fidel Castro take positions on road bank as the revolutionary leader makes a roadside appearance a few miles from there January 7, 1959, as his columns travel toward Havana where a big welcome is expected tomorrow. Rebel Leader Fidel Castro makes a cross with his fingers and swears that he will be true to the faith the people have placed in him as he addresses huge crowd in Santa Clara, Cuba Jan. 7, 1959. Castro and his forces are enroute to the capital city of Havana. Pretty girls usually show up to greet victorious heroes and Fidel Castro head of Cuba?s Revolutionary forces was accorded the full treatment when he arrived at Camp Columbia, military headquarters in Havana on Jan. 8, 1959. Here at the reception center a girl dressed in the red and black colors of the 26th July Movement rushes up to greet Cuba?s newest hero.

Students among crowd demonstrating in front of the presidential palace January 16, 1959, carry signs backing the rebel provisional government. Some of signs support executions which followed former dictator Fulgencio Batista’s fall from power and victory of rebel leader Fidel Castro’s forces; others say that what is happening in Cuba is Cuba’s business. Armed teenage rebel soldier stands guard on hill overlooking training field for rebel troops of Fidel Castro, Jan. 19, 1956. Large portion of about 1,000 new recruits are in formation below. A few of these men have seen combat in fight to overthrow the Batista government. Training camp is near Santiago in Oriente province, birthplace of the revolution in Cuba. Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro’s right hand man, who is an Argentine doctor in charge of La Cabana fortress in Havana, which houses 600 war and political prisoners, is seen Jan. 20, 1959. He promises to be one of the more important persons in the upcoming trials.

Rescue workers carry a woman to a first aid station after she fainted in the jam packed mob awaiting appearance of Fidel Castro in front of the Presidential Palace in Havana, Jan. 21, 1959. More than a score fainted in the area near the speakers stand as a hot sun beat down. Rebel leader Fidel Castro gestures as he makes a point as he speaks into a battery of microphones in Havana, Cuba on Jan. 21, 1959 during rally in front of the Presidential Palace, called to back the government’s policy executing “war criminals.” A rebel solider from the Fidel Castro army gets a kick out of trying the bat of Charley Lau, Detroit catcher, playing ball in the Cuban winter league, February 1, 1959. Lau made the boys let him keep their guns so he would be sure and get his favorite stick back. Fidel Castro, hero of the Cuban revolt, runs a gamut of emotion as he speaks to a crowd during his triumphal march to Havana following the fall of the Batista government on Jan. 30, 1959. Huge crowds greeted the rebel leader all along the route.

The reception was a contrast to his college days in Havana when he was regarded largely as a country bumpkin. But while Castro failed to attain the campus political goals he sought, he was a determined orator even then and wasn’t without a following. Rebel Leader Fidel Castro stops to talk with a farmer on horseback as he tours the foothills of the Sierra Maestra on Feb. 4, 1959 in Manzanillo, Cuba during a tour of the Eastern part of Cuba that was the cradle of the Revolutionary government. This is one of a series of pictures made by Assocaite Press photographer Harry Harris who spent three days in Oriente province with Castro. his was the scene in the town square as Fidel Castro, Cuba’s rebel leader was given a thunderous welcome when he made his appearance at a rally at 3 a.m. in Manzanillo, Cuba, Feb. 4, 1959. The rebel leader was scheduled to appear about 8 p.m. but extra stops en route delayed his arrival. The crowd stayed on and packed the square for the early morning visit.

Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro sits with his nine-year-old son, Fidel Jr., as he appears on the U.S. television program Date: 06/02/1959 Fidel Castro in a village in Eastern Cuba. Castro had refused to strike pose atop coffee shop table in Havana, Cuba on Feb. 14, 1959. Share this: Fidel Castro is sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba | World History Project Feb 16 1959 Fidel Castro is sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba Fidel Castro sought to oust liberals and democrats, such as José Miró Cardona and Manuel Urrutia Lleó. In February professor José Miró Cardona had to resign because of Castro's attacks. On February 16, 1959, Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba. Professor Miró soon went into exile in the United States, and would later participate in the Bay of Pigs Invasion against Castro's form of government. President Manuel Urrutia Lleó wanted to restore elections, but Castro opposed free elections. Castro's slogan was "Revolution first, elections later".

The new government began expropriating property and announced plans to base the compensation on the artificially low property valuations that the companies themselves had kept to a fraction of their true value so that their taxes would be negligible. During this period Castro repeatedly denied being a communist. For example in New York on April 25 he said, "...[communist] influence is nothing. I don't agree with communism. We are democracy. We are against all kinds of dictators... That is why we oppose communism." Between April 15 and April 26, Castro and a delegation of industrial and international representatives visited the U.S. as guests of the Press Club. Castro hired one of the best public relations firms in the United States for a charm offensive visit by Castro and his recently initiated government. Castro answered impertinent questions jokingly and ate hot dogs and hamburgers. His rumpled fatigues and scruffy beard cut a popular figure easily promoted as an authentic hero. He was refused a meeting with President Eisenhower. After his visit to the United States, he would go on to join forces with the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev.

Source: Wikipedia Added by: Kevin Rogers 1959: Castro sworn in as Cuban PM Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has become the country's youngest ever premier. At the age of 32, he has been sworn in as Prime Minister in the Cabinet Room of the Presidential Palace in Havana. Dr Castro led the resistance against the seven-year military rule of President Fulgeneio Batista and commanded the 26 July Army, a guerrilla force that drove the old regime into exile on New Year's Day. But this is the first time he has assumed administrative responsibilities within the new, provisional government. Cuban newspaper 'Revolution' - regarded as the voice-piece of the 26 July Army - explained his appointment is to solve the problem of "a dispersal of power", as many workers and industries have observed Castro's pronouncements and not the government's since the revolution.

According to the newspaper, "now the government, the revolution and the people will take the same path." We have great plans Fidel Castro, Prime Minister Dr Castro was on leave from his previous post as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces when Dr Jose Miro Cordoba - prime minister since 5 January - and his cabinet resigned, without explanation, two days ago. As well as his supporters, a hoard of Cuban and foreign media witnessed Fidel Castro being sworn into office wearing his olive-green rebel army fatigues and sporting his trademark square cap and beard. He told them: "We have great plans and we suffer when we cannot put these into effect rapidly, but technical preparations take time." He also denied he had any interest in taking over as president, saying legal moves to lower the age of eligibility for the post last week were the initiative of the incumbent president Manuel Urrutia Lleo. President Urrutia and Prime Minister Castro are old allies and are expected to work together to achieve revolutionary aims of economic reform and improved living standards for all Cubans.

Source: BBC News Added by: Kevin Rogers On February 16, 1959, Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, who became commander in chief of Cuba's armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, replaced the more moderate Miro Cardona as head of the country's new provisional government. Castro was born in the Oriente province in eastern Cuba, the son of a Spanish immigrant who had made a fortune building rail systems to transport sugar cane. He became involved in revolutionary politics while a student and in 1947 took part in an abortive attempt by Dominican exiles and Cubans to overthrow Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. In the next year, he took part in urban riots in Bogota, Colombia. The most outstanding feature of his politics during the period was his anti-American beliefs; he was not yet an overt Marxist. In 1951, he ran for a seat in the Cuban House of Representatives as a member of the reformist Ortodoxo Party, but General Batista seized power in a bloodless coup d'etat before the election could be held.

Various groups formed to oppose Batista's dictatorship, and on July 26, 1953, Castro led some 160 rebels in an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba--Cuba's second largest military base. Castro hoped to seize weapons and announce his revolution from the base radio station, but the barracks were heavily defended, and more than half his men were captured or killed. Castro was himself arrested and put on trial for conspiring to overthrow the Cuban government. During his trial, he argued that he and his rebels were fighting to restore democracy to Cuba, but he was nonetheless found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Two years later, Batista felt confident enough in his power that he granted a general amnesty for all political prisoners, including Castro. Castro then went with his brother Raul to Mexico, and they organized the revolutionary 26th of July Movement, enlisting recruits and joining up with Ernesto "Che" Guevara, an idealist Marxist from Argentina. On December 2, 1956, Castro and 81 armed men landed on the Cuban coast.

All of them were killed or captured except for Castro, Raul, Che, and nine others, who retreated into the Sierra Maestra mountain range to wage a guerrilla war against the Batista government. They were joined by revolutionary volunteers from all over Cuba and won a series of victories over Batista's demoralized army. Castro was supported by the peasantry, to whom he promised land reform, while Batista received aid from the United States, which bombed suspected revolutionary positions. By mid-1958, a number of other Cuban groups were also opposing Batista, and the United States ended military aid to his regime. In December, the 26th of July forces under Che Guevara attacked the city of Santa Clara, and Batista's forces crumbled. Batista fled for the Dominican Republic on January 1, 1959. Castro, who had fewer than 1,000 men left at the time, took control of the Cuban government's 30,000-man army. The other rebel leaders lacked the popular support the young and charismatic Castro enjoyed, and on February 16 he was sworn in as prime minister.

The United States initially recognized the new Cuban dictator but withdrew its support after Castro launched a program of agrarian reform, nationalized U.S. assets on the island, and declared a Marxist government. Many of Cuba's wealthier citizens fled to the United States, where they joined the CIA in its efforts to overthrow Castro's regime. In April 1961, with training and support by the CIA, the Cuban exiles launched an ill-fated and unsuccessful invasion of Cuba known as the "Bay of Pigs." The Soviet Union reacted to the attack by escalating its support to Castro's communist government and in 1962 placed offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba. The discovery of the missiles by U.S. intelligence led to the tense "Cuban Missile Crisis," which ended after the Soviets agreed to remove the weapons in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba. Castro's Cuba was the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere, and he would retain control of it into the 21st century, outlasting 10 U.S. presidents who opposed him with economic embargoes and political rhetoric.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Castro lost a valuable source of aid, but he made up for it by courting European and Canadian investment and tourism. In July 2006, Castro temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul after undergoing intestinal surgery. His struggles with illness continued, and he officially stepped down in February 2008. Fidel Castro full movie - YouTube Fidel Castro full movie Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Dec 9, 2011 Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (Spanish: [fiˈðel ˈkastro]; born August 13, 1926) is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008.

He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011. Politically a Marxist-Leninist, under his administration the Republic of Cuba was converted into a one-party socialist state, with industry and business being nationalised under state ownership and socialist reforms implemented in all areas of society. Born the illegitimate son of a wealthy farmer, Castro became involved in leftist anti-imperialist politics whilst studying law at the University of Havana. Subsequently involving himself in armed rebellions against right wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, he went on to conclude that the U.S.-backed Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, who was widely seen as a dictator, had to be overthrown; to this end he led a failed armed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953. Imprisoned for a year, he then traveled to Mexico, and with the aid of his brother Raúl Castro and friend Che Guevara, he assembled together a group of Cuban revolutionaries, the July 26 Movement.

Returning with them to Cuba, he took a key role in the Cuban Revolution, leading a successful guerrilla war against Batista's forces, with Batista himself fleeing into exile in 1959. Castro subsequently became Commander in Chief of the armed forces and shortly thereafter became Prime Minister. His involvement in the overthrow of Batista, as well as a suspected relationship with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, alarmed the United States, who through the CIA organised the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 to overthrow his government, before proceeding to orchestrate repeated assassination attempts against him and implement an economic blockade of Cuba. To counter this threat, Castro forged an alliance with the Soviet Union and allowed them to store nuclear weapons on the island, leading to the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Adopting Marxism-Leninism as his guiding ideology, in 1961 Castro proclaimed the socialist nature of the Cuban revolution, and in 1965 became First Secretary of the newly founded Communist Party, with all other parties being abolished. He then led the transformation of Cuba into a socialist republic, nationalising industry and introducing free universal healthcare and education, as well as suppressing internal opposition.

A keen internationalist, Castro then introduced Cuban medical brigades who worked throughout the developing world, and aided a number of foreign revolutionary socialist groups in the hope of toppling world capitalism. In 1976 he became President of the Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. On the international stage, he held the post of Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1979 to 1983. Following the collapse of key ally the Soviet Union in 1991, Castro led Cuba into its economic "Special Period", before then taking the country into the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas in 2006 and forging economic and political alliances with other nations in the Latin American "Pink Tide". Amidst failing health, in 2006 Castro transferred his responsibilities to Vice-President Raúl Castro, who was then elected President when Fidel stepped down in 2008. Castro is a controversial and highly divisive world figure, being lauded as a champion of anti-imperialism, humanitarianism, environmentalism and the world's poor by his supporters, but alternately his critics have accused him of being a dictator whose authoritarian administration has overseen multiple human rights abuses.

Nonetheless, he has had a significant influence on the politics of a number of other world leaders, namely Nelson Mandela, Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales, and he is widely idolised by many leftists, socialists and anti-imperialists across the world. Category 1959: How did Fidel Castro become Prime Minister of Cuba? | History.info 1959: How did Fidel Castro become Prime Minister of Cuba? Photo Credit To During his triumphant entry into Havana in January 1959, Castro stated that he is not interested in power and he will not take it, and yet, already next month, he became prime minister. On this day Fidel Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba and thus started the longest term of government in world history, up until 19 April 2011, when he handed over power to his brother Raul. Fidel ruled for 52 years and 62 days, which is unprecedented in history (not counting monarchs). Castro came to power after the successful completion of the Cuban Revolution. He spent most of the revolutionary struggle in the Cuban Sierra Maestra mountains, from where he led guerrilla attacks.

It is interesting that, during his triumphant entry into Havana in January 1959, he stated that he is not interested in power and he will not take it, and yet, already next month, he became prime minister. Facebook Comments Biographical Profiles: Fidel Castro - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum Fidel Castro Biographical Profiles: Fidel Castro Fidel Castro was Prime Minister/President of Cuba from 1959 until 2008. Born in about 1926, he grew up in the remote northeastern Cuban province of Oriente where his family owned one of the area’s largest sugar plantations. He attended a number of elite secondary schools in Cuba before studying law at the University of Havana, which had been a center of political activity since the 1930s. There Castro became acquainted with nationalist supporters and participated in political strikes and demonstrations. After graduation, Castro set up his own law practice in Havana, but continued to be politically active. He ran as a congressional candidate in 1952, but elections were canceled after the March 10th military coup d'etat by General Fulgencio Batista.

The next year, Castro led a revolt against the authoritarian and corrupt government of General Batista. Most of the leaders of this revolt, later known as the "26th of July" movement, were killed or imprisoned. After serving 22 months in prison, Castro reorganized the movement and recruited new followers. The movement eventually forced Batista to flee the country shortly before dawn on New Year's Day, 1959. Since assuming his position as Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959, Castro has been in control of Cuba’s government, military, and economy. He has transformed the country into a socialist nation with a state-run economy and social programs. Strained relations with the United States following Batista’s overthrow marked Castro’s time in power, due to his nationalization of U.S. property in Cuba and alliances with the U.S.S.R. The United States formally ended diplomatic relations with Cuba on January 3, 1961. Shortly thereafter, two of the most well-known clashes between the Cuban and American governments occurred during the administration of President Kennedy.

In 1961, the United States backed anti-Castro Cuban exiles in the Bay of Pigs invasion, which resulted in the defeat of the exiles by the Cuban army. In October of 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted when it was discovered that the U.S.S.R. was building nuclear missile sites on the island. After thirteen days of tense negotiation, the Soviet Union ultimately removed its missiles from the island. To this day, the United States continues its trade embargo against Cuba, first implemented in 1960. 1926 Born, Oriente, Cuba Fidel Castro - Military Leader, President (non-U.S.) - Biography.com “I have concluded—maybe a little late—that speeches must be short.” “I have a heart of steel.” “I believe all of us ought to retire relatively young.” “Condemn me, it does not matter. History will absolve me.” “You cannot utter the word 'democracy,' because, among other reasons, everyone in the world knows your ascent to the U.S. presidency was a fraud."[On George W.

Bush after the 2004 invasion of Iraq.]” “The Cold War is over, but the arms race goes on and nuclear and military hegemonism perpetuate themselves. How long shall we wait for the total removal of all weapons of mass extermination?” “Capitalism has neither the capacity, nor the morality, nor the ethics to solve the problems of poverty.” “Were [John F.] Kennedy not a millionaire, illiterate and ignorant, then he would obviously understand that you can not revolt a against the peasants.” “Each one of you must go ready to face aggression, harassment, attempts and bribery.” Fidel Castro Fidel Castro - Mini Biography (TV-14; 4:22) A short biography of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, whose defiance against the United States led to the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s. Synopsis Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was born near Birán, Cuba, in 1926. Beginning in 1958 Castro and his forces began a campaign of guerrilla warfare which led to the overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista .

As the country's new leader, Castro implemented communist domestic policies and initiated military and economic relations with the Soviet Union that led to strained relations with the United States that culminated in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Under Castro, improvements were made to health care and education, while he maintained a dictatorial control over the country and brutally persecuted or imprisoned anyone thought to be enemies of the regime. Thousands of dissidents were killed or died trying to flee the dictatorship. Castro was also responsible for fomenting communist revolutions in countries around the world. However, the 1991 collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and its negative impact on Cuba's economy led Castro to relax some restrictions over time. In failing health, Fidel Castro officially handed over power to his brother Raúl Castro in 2008, but still wielded some political influence in Cuba and abroad. Fidel Castro died on November 25, 2016 at the age of 90. Early Life Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926, near Birán, in Cuba's eastern Oriente Province.

He was the third of six children, including his two brothers, Raúl and Ramón; and three sisters, Angela, Emma and Agustina. His father, Ángel, was a wealthy sugar plantation owner originally from Spain who did most of his business with the American-owned United Fruit Company, which dominated the agriculture in that region at the time. His mother, Lina Ruz González, had been a maid to Ángel's first wife, Maria Luisa Argota, at the time of Fidel's birth. By the time Fidel was 15, his father dissolved his first marriage and wed Fidel's mother. At age 17, Fidel was formally recognized by his father and his name was changed from Ruz to Castro. Educated in private Jesuit boarding schools, Castro grew up in wealthy circumstances amid the poverty of Cuba but was also imbued with a sense of Spanish pride from his teachers. From an early age, Castro showed he was intellectually gifted, but he was also something of a troublemaker and was often more interested in sports than studies.

He attended Colegio Dolores in Santiago de Cuba and then El Colegio de Belén in Havana, where he pitched for the school's baseball team as well as played basketball and ran track. After his graduation in late 1945, however, Castro entered law school at the University of Havana and became immersed in the climate of Cuban nationalism, anti-imperialism and socialism, focusing his energies more exclusively on politics. Early Political Insurrections and Arrests By 1947, Castro had become increasingly passionate about social justice and he traveled to the Dominican Republic to join an expedition attempting the overthrow of the country's dictator, Rafael Trujillo . Though the coup failed before it got started, the incident did little to dampen Castro's passion for reform, and he traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, the following year to participate in the anti-government rioting there. In 1947, Castro also joined the Partido Ortodoxo, an anticommunist political party founded to reform government in Cuba. Its founder, Cuban presidential candidate Eduardo Chibás, lost the 1948 election but inspired Castro to be an ardent disciple.

He pledged to expose the government's corruption and warn the people about General Fulgencio Batista , himself a former president, who was plotting a return to power. However, Chibás's efforts were cut short after his supposed allies refused to provide evidence of government wrongdoing. In August 1951, Chibás shot himself during a radio broadcast. Meanwhile, Castro had married Mirta Díaz Balart, who was from a wealthy political family in Cuba. They had one child, named Fidel, in 1949. The marriage exposed Castro to a wealthier lifestyle and political connections. At the same time, however, he developed an interest in the work of Karl Marx and became intent on running for a seat in the Cuban congress. But in March 1952 a coup led by General Fulgencio Batista successfully overthrew the government and the upcoming election was cancelled, leaving Castro without a legitimate political platform and little income with which to support his family. Batista set himself up as dictator, solidified his power with the military and Cuba's economic elite and had his government recognized by the United States.

In response, Castro and fellow members of the Partido Ortodoxo organized a group they called "The Movement" and planned an insurrection. On July 26, 1953, Castro and approximately 150 supporters attacked the Moncada military barracks outside of Santiago de Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Batista. However, the attack failed and Castro was captured, tried, convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. His brother Raúl was also among those imprisoned. Guerrilla War Against Batista While incarcerated, Castro renamed his group the "26th of July Movement" and continued to coordinate its activities through correspondence. He and his compatriots were ultimately released in 1955 under an amnesty deal with the Batista government, and he traveled with Raúl to Mexico, where they continued to plan their revolution. In Mexico, Castro met with other Cuban exiles, as well as the Argentinian rebel Ernesto "Che" Guevara , who believed that the plight of Latin America's poor could be rectified only through violent revolution. He joined Castro's group and became an important confidante, helping to shape Castro's political beliefs.

On December 2, 1956, Fidel Castro returned to Cuba aboard the boat Granma with little more than 80 insurgents and a cache of weapons near the eastern city of Manzanillo. In short order, Batista's forces killed or captured most of the attackers. But Castro, Raúl, Guevara and a handful of others were able to escape into the Sierra Maestra mountain range along the island's southeastern coast. Over the course of the next two years, Castro's steadily growing forces waged a guerrilla war against the Batista government, organizing resistance groups in cities and small towns across Cuba. Castro was also able to organize a parallel government, carry out some agrarian reform and control provinces with agricultural and manufacturing production. Beginning in 1958, Castro and his forces mounted a series of successful military campaigns to capture and hold key areas throughout Cuba. Combined with a loss of popular support and massive desertions in its military, Castro's efforts finally led to the collapse of Batista's government, and in January 1959, Batista himself fled to the Dominican Republic. At the age of 32, Castro had successfully concluded his guerrilla campaign to take control of Cuba.

A provisional government was quickly created, with Manuel Urrutia installed as president and José Miró Cardona as prime minister. It quickly gained the recognition of the United States, and Castro himself arrived in Havana to cheering crowds and assumed the post of commander-in-chief of the military. In February 1959, Miró suddenly resigned, and Castro was sworn in as Cuba's prime minister. Meanwhile, hundreds of members of Batista's government were tried and executed. Turn to Communism Castro implemented far-reaching reforms by nationalizing factories and plantations in an attempt to end U.S. economic dominance on the island. Among these reforms, it was announced that the new government would base compensation to foreign companies on the artificially low property values that the companies themselves had negotiated with past Cuban governments in order to keep their taxes low. American companies soon felt the negative effects of such measures, leading to a significant strain in relations between the Cuba and the United States. During this time, Castro repeatedly denied being a communist, but to many Americans, his policies closely resembled a Soviet-style control of both the economy and government. In April 1959, Castro and a delegation visited the United States as guests of the National Press Club.

Castro hired a renowned public relations firm to help promote his tour, but President Dwight Eisenhower , refused a meeting with him. That May, Castro signed the first Agrarian Reform Act, which limited the size of land holdings and forbade foreign property ownership. On the surface, the intent was to develop a class of independent farmers. In reality, this program led to state land control, with the farmers becoming mere government employees. By the end of 1959, Castro's revolution had become radicalized, with purges of military and government leaders—including President Urrutia—and the suppression of any media critical of Castro's policies. Castro's government also began to establish relations with the Soviet Union. The USSR sent more than 100 Spanish-speaking advisers to help organize Cuba's defense committee. In February 1960, Cuba signed a trade agreement to buy oil from the Soviet Union and established diplomatic relations. When U.S.-owned refineries in Cuba refused to process the oil, Castro expropriated them, and the United States retaliated by cutting Cuba's import quota on sugar, thus beginning what would become a decades-long contentious relationship between the two countries.

Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis The year 1961 proved to be pivotal in Castro's relationship with the United States. On January 3, 1961, outgoing president Dwight Eisenhower broke off diplomatic relations with the Cuban government. On April 14, Castro formally declared Cuba a socialist state. Three days later, some 1,400 Cuban exiles invaded Cuba at the remote Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow the Castro regime. The incursion ended in disaster, with hundreds of the insurgents killed and more than 1,000 captured. Though the United States denied any involvement, it was revealed that the Cuban exiles had been trained by the Central Intelligence Agency and armed with American weapons. Decades later, the National Security Archive revealed that the United States had begun planning an overthrow of the Castro government as early as March 1959. The invasion was conceived during the Eisenhower administration and inherited by President John F. Kennedy , who reluctantly approved its action but denied the invaders air support in the hopes of concealing a U.S. role in the effort. Castro, in turn, was able to capitalize on the incident to consolidate his power and further promote his agenda.

On May 1 he announced an end to democratic elections in Cuba and denounced American imperialism. Then at year's end, Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist and announced the Cuban government was adopting communist economic and political policies. On February 7, 1962, the United States imposed a full economic embargo on Cuba. In the wake of the Bay of Pigs incident, Castro intensified his relations with the Soviet Union by accepting further economic and military aid. In October 1962, his increasing reliance on Soviet support brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Hoping to deter another U.S. invasion of Cuba, Castro and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Khrushchev justified the move as a response to U.S. Jupiter missiles that had been deployed in Turkey. However, an American U-2 reconnaissance plane discovered the base construction before the missiles were installed and President Kennedy responded by demanding the removal of the missiles, with orders for the U.S. Navy to search any vessels headed for the island.

Over 13 anxious days of secret communications between Khrushchev, Kennedy and their agents, the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the United States' public agreement not to invade Cuba. The Kennedy administration also agreed to secretly remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey. Both leaders saved face and gained some admiration for restraint. Castro, on the other hand, was humiliated: Both superpowers had completely left him out of the negotiations. Furthermore, the United States was able to persuade the Organization of American States to end diplomatic relations with Cuba, in response to Castro's "shameful" actions. Cuba Under Castro But Castro wasn't shamed for long. In 1965, he merged Cuba's Communist Party with his revolutionary organizations, installing himself as head of the party. Within a few years, he began a campaign of supporting armed struggle against imperialism in Latin American and African countries. In January 1966, Castro founded the Organization for Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America to promote revolution and communism on three continents. In 1967, he also formed the Latin American Solidarity Organization to foster revolution in select Latin American countries.

In the 1970s, Castro continued to promote himself as the leading spokesperson for Third World countries by providing military support to pro-Soviet forces in Angola, Ethiopia and Yemen. Though Cuba was still heavily subsidized by the Soviet government during this period, those expeditions ultimately proved unsuccessful and put a strain on the Cuban economy. Meanwhile, the U.S. agreement not to invade Cuba had not precluded attempting to topple the Castro regime in other ways. Over the years, Castro was the target of numerous CIA assassination attempts (an estimated 638 in all, according to Cuban intelligence), ranging from exploding cigars to a fungus-infected scuba-diving suit to a mafia-style shooting. Castro took great delight in the fact that none of the attempts ever succeeded and was quoted as saying that if avoiding assassination attempts was an Olympic sport, he would have won gold medals. Castro's regime has been credited with opening 10,000 new schools and increasing literacy to 98 percent. Cubans enjoy a universal health-care system, which has decreased infant mortality to 11 deaths in 1,000 (1.1 percent).

But at the same time, civil liberties were whittled away, as labor unions lost the right to strike, independent newspapers were shut down and religious institutions were harassed. Castro removed opposition to his rule though executions and imprisonments, as well as through forced emigration. Though there are no exact numbers, the Cuba Archive estimates that tens of thousands were murdered, with a documented 5,600 killed by firing squads alone. Even more Cubans were killed by state forces when they tried to flee the country, which occurred during the 1980 Canimar River Massacre and the Tugboat Massacre of 1994. During Castro's rule, hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled the country, many settling just across the Florida Straits in Miami. The largest of these exoduses occurred in 1980, when Castro opened up the port of Mariel to allow exiled Cubans living in Miami to come claim their relatives. Upon their arrival, Castro also loaded the ships with Cuban prison inmates and mentally ill people. In all, nearly 120,000 Cubans left their homeland in 1980 to find sanctuary in the United States.

Collapse of the Soviet Union After the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union sent Cuba's economy into a tailspin, Castro's revolution began to lose momentum. Without cheap oil imports and an eager Soviet market for Cuban sugar and other goods, Cuban unemployment and inflation grew. The contraction of the Cuban economy resulted in 85 percent of its markets disappearing. Yet Castro was very adept at keeping control of the government during dire economic times. He pressed the United States to lift the economic embargo, but it refused. Castro then adopted a quasi-free market economy and encouraged international investment. He also legalized the U.S. dollar and encouraged limited tourism, and in 1996 he visited the United States to invite Cuban exiles living there to return to Cuba to start businesses. In 2001, after massive damage was caused by Hurricane Michelle, Castro declined U.S. humanitarian aid but proposed a one-time cash purchase of food from the United States. George W. Bush 's administration assented and authorized the shipment. With the fuel supply running dangerously low, Castro ordered 118 factories to be closed and sent thousands of Cuban doctors to Venezuela in exchange for oil imports.

Shifting Power In the late 1990s, speculation began to arise over Castro's age and well-being. Numerous health problems had been reported over the years, the most significant occurring in 2006, when Castro underwent surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding. In a dramatic announcement, on July 31, 2006, Castro designated his brother Raúl as the country's temporary leader. Raúl had served as Castro's second in command for decades and had been officially selected as his successor in 1997. Following Fidel Castro's surgery, his only appearances were in photographs and video recordings of meetings. On February 19, 2008, 81-year-old Fidel Castro permanently gave up the Cuban presidency due to his deteriorating physical condition. He handed over power to Raúl, who was 76 years old at the time. The Cuban National Assembly officially elected Raúl Castro as president of Cuba the same month, although Fidel Castro reportedly remained first secretary of the Communist Party. In April 2011, news broke that Fidel Castro officially stepped down from his role within Cuba's Communist Party.

Raúl Castro easily won election as the party's new first secretary, taking over for his brother and choosing famed revolutionary José Ramón Machado Ventura to serve as the party's second in command. Fidel Castro claimed that he had actually resigned the post five years earlier. In his retirement, Castro began writing a column about his experiences and opinions, called "Reflections of Fidel," and in 2007 his autobiography My Life was published. From mid-November to early January of 2012, however, Castro failed to publish any columns. This sudden silence sparked rumors that Castro had taken a turn for the worse. But these stories soon proved to be unfounded, as Castro put out a flurry of articles later that January. READ OBITUARY: Fidel Castro, Cuban Revolutionary, Dies at 90. (Photo: DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images) Though not involved in the day-to-day affairs of running Cuba, Fidel Castro still maintained a certain degree of political influence both at home and abroad. He continued to meet with foreign leaders, such as Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2012, during their visits to Cuba.

Pope Benedict arranged a special audience with Castro at the end of his trip in March 2012, seeking to obtain greater religious freedom for Catholics living in the communist nation, and in September 2015 Pope Francis met privately with Castro as well. However, when Barack Obama became the first sitting American president to visit Cuba in almost 90 years, he did not meet with Fidel Castro, who later denounced the goodwill mission in his column, citing a mistrust of U.S. motivations and writing, "We don't need the empire to gift us anything." Fidel Castro died on November 25, 2016 at the age of 90. His brother and successor Raúl Castro made the announcement of this death on Cuban state television. Following Castro’s death, Cuba declared nine days of mourning. Thousands of Cubans lined up to pay tribute to their leader at a memorial at the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana where he had delivered many speeches throughout his rule. On November 29, Raúl Castro led a massive rally which was attended by leaders of ally nations including Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

Tens of thousands of Cubans attending the rally chanted “Yo Soy Fidel” (I Am Fidel) and “Viva Fidel!” (Long Live Fidel). While there was mourning in Havana, Cuban exiles around the world celebrated the death of the man they believed was a tyrant, who was responsible for killing and imprisoning thousands of Cubans, and separating generations of families. A motorcade carrying Castro’s ashes in a Cuban-flag draped casket was driven across the country to Santiago de Cuba. On December 4th, 2016, Castro's remains were buried at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago, near the burial site of Cuban poet and independence leader José Martí . Videos Fidel Castro - Cold War - HISTORY.com Fidel Castro A+E Networks Introduction Cuban leader Fidel Castro (1926-2016) established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere after leading an overthrow of the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. He ruled over Cuba for nearly five decades, until handing off power to his younger brother Raúl in 2008.

During that time, Castro’s regime was successful in reducing illiteracy, stamping out racism and improving public health care, but was widely criticized for stifling economic and political freedoms. Castro’s Cuba also had a highly antagonistic relationship with the United States–most notably resulting in the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The two nations officially normalized relations in July 2015, ending a trade embargo that had been in place since 1960, when U.S.-owned businesses in Cuba were nationalized without compensation. Castro died on November 25, 2016, at 90. Google Fidel Castro: Early Years Castro was born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, a small town in eastern Cuba. His father was a wealthy Spanish sugarcane farmer who first came to the island during the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898); his mother was a domestic servant for his father’s family who bore him out of wedlock. After attending a couple of Jesuit schools–including the Colegio de Belén, where he excelled at baseball–Castro enrolled as a law student at the University of Havana.

While there, he became interested in politics, joining the anti-corruption Orthodox Party and participating in an aborted coup attempt against the brutal Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo . Did You Know? In addition to the Bay of Pigs invasion, the United States made several failed attempts on Fidel Castro's life, including poisoning his cigars with Botox. In 1950, Castro graduated from the University of Havana and opened a law office. Two years later, he ran for election to the Cuban House of Representatives. The election never happened, however, because Batista seized power that March. Castro responded by planning a popular uprising. “From that moment on, I had a clear idea of the struggle ahead,” he said in a 2006 “spoken autobiography.” Castro’s Revolution Begins In July 1953, Castro led about 120 men in an attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The assault failed, Castro was captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and many of his men were killed. The U.S.-backed Batista, looking to improve his authoritarian image, subsequently released Castro in 1955 as part of a general amnesty.

Castro ended up in Mexico , where he met fellow revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and plotted his return. The following year, Castro and 81 other men sailed on the yacht “Granma” to the eastern coast of Cuba, where government forces immediately ambushed them. The estimated 18 survivors, including Castro, his brother Raúl and Guevara, fled deep into the Sierra Maestra Mountains in southeastern Cuba with virtually no weapons or supplies. According to Castro, the revolutionaries started reorganizing with only two rifles,. But by early 1957 they were already attracting recruits and winning small battles against Rural Guard patrols. “We’d take out the men in front, attack the center, and then ambush the rear when it started retreating, in the terrain we’d chosen,” Castro said in his spoken autobiography. In 1958, Batista tried to snuff out the uprising with a massive offensive, complete with air force bombers and naval offshore units. The guerrillas held their ground, launched a counterattack and wrested control from Batista on January 1, 1959. Castro arrived in Havana a week later and soon took over as prime minister.

At the same time, revolutionary tribunals began trying and executing members of the old regime for alleged war crimes. Castro’s Rule In 1960, Castro nationalized all U.S.-owned businesses, including oil refineries, factories and casinos. This prompted the United States to end diplomatic relations and impose a trade embargo that still stands today. Meanwhile, in April 1961, about 1,400 Cuban exiles trained and funded by the CIA landed near the Bay of Pigs with the intent of overthrowing Castro. Their plans ended in disaster, however, partially because a first wave of bombers missed their targets and a second air strike was called off. Ultimately, more than 100 exiles were killed and nearly everyone else was captured. In December 1962, Castro freed them in exchange for medical supplies and baby food worth about $52 million. Castro publicly declared himself a Marxist-Leninist in late 1961. By that time, Cuba was becoming increasingly dependent on the Soviet Union for economic and military support.

In October 1962, the United States discovered that nuclear missiles had been stationed there, just 90 miles from Florida , setting off fears of a World War III. After a 13-day standoff, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the nukes against the wishes of Castro, who was left out of the negotiations. In return, U.S. President John F. Kennedy publicly consented not to reinvade Cuba and privately consented to take American nuclear weapons out of Turkey. Cuban Life under Castro After taking power, Castro abolished legal discrimination, brought electricity to the countryside, provided for full employment and advanced the causes of education and health care, in part by building new schools and medical facilities. But he also closed down opposition newspapers, jailed thousands of political opponents and made no move toward elections. Moreover, he limited the amount of land a person could own, abolished private business and presided over housing and consumer goods shortages. With political and economic options so limited, hundreds of thousands of Cubans, including vast numbers of professionals and technicians, left Cuba, often for the United States.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, Castro supplied military and financial aid to various leftist guerilla movements in Latin America and Africa. Nonetheless, relations with many countries, with the notable exception of the United States, began to normalize. Cuba’s economy foundered when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s and the United States expanded sanctions even further. Yet Castro, who by this time had switched his title from prime minister to president, found new trading partners and was able to cling to power until 2006, when he temporarily gave control of the government to Raúl after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery. Two years later, in 2008, he permanently resigned. In 2015, U.S. and Cuban officials announced they had agreed to terms on the normalization of relations between the two nations, with mutual embassies and diplomatic missions opening in each country. Castro died on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90. His death was announced on state television and later confirmed by his brother Raúl. Castro will be laid to rest in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Tags

Question: Who became Prime Minister of Cuba in 1959?
Answer: Fidel Castro